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Federal Register / Vol. 86, No. 124 / Thursday, July 1, 2021 / Rules and Regulations CFR 9.74 AVAs and does not overlap any other existing or proposed AVA.
Within the approximately 8,129-acre proposed AVA, there are 2 commercial vineyards which cover a total of more than 1,800 acres, as well as 1 winery.
The distinguishing features of the proposed Goose Gap AVA are its geology and soils.
According to the petition, the proposed AVA is part of a series of folded hills and valleys collectively known as the Yakima Fold Belt, which runs from the Beezely Hills in the north to the Horse Heaven Hills in the south.
The proposed Goose Gap AVA is comprised of two geographic features with similar viticultural conditions:
Goose Gap and the adjoining Goose Hill.
Goose Gap and Goose Hill together form part of a single folded and faulted block of the Columbia River Basalt. Goose Gap is formed from a syncline, a downfolded arch in the bedrock that creates a saddle-like shape, whereas Goose Hill is formed from an anticline, an arch-like structure of basalt that bends upwards to form a ridge and slopes. Goose Gap and Goose Hill both have an east-west orientation, south and southwest slopes that are too steep for planting, and plantable north and northeast slopes. By contrast, the petition states that all of the ridges and hills in the region surrounding the proposed AVA have a northwest-southeast orientation, plantable south and southwest slopes, and north and northeast slopes that are too steep for vineyards. Because vineyards in the proposed Goose Gap AVA are planted on north-and northeast-facing slopes, they receive less solar radiation than nearby vineyards planted on southand southwest-facing slopes. As a result, grapes grown in the proposed AVA typically ripen later than the same varietals grown in the neighboring Red Mountain AVA 27
CFR 9.167, which is to the northwest of the proposed AVA.
Five main soil series comprise almost 95 percent of the soils in the proposed Goose Gap AVA: Warden, Shano, Kiona, Hezel, and Prosser. The Warden series soils, which make up 65 percent of the proposed AVA, consist of wind-blown loess over layered or stratified silts and fine sands, and have rooting depths of six feet or more with no hardpans or other root-restrictive layers. Shano soils constitute seven percent of the proposed AVA and are also formed from windblown loess and are deep soils with low levels of organic material. Kiona soils comprise 9 percent of the proposed AVA and are formed in loess and rubble from fractured basalt. Hezel soils make up seven percent of the proposed AVA
and are made of windblown sand over
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stratified silts and sands. Finally, Prosser soils comprise five percent of the proposed AVA and derive from loess mixed with flood sediments.
Prosser soils are generally shallow and overlay fractured basalt bedrock. In comparison, Warden soils are less common in the established Red Mountain AVA to the northwest of the proposed AVA, the Horse Heaven Hills AVA 27 CFR 9.188 to the southwest of the proposed AVA, and in the established Yakima Valley AVA that encompasses the proposed AVA.
Additionally, Scooteney soils comprise almost 11 percent of soils in the established Red Mountain AVA, and Ritzville soils comprise almost 30
percent of the soils in the established Horse Heaven Hills AVA, yet both soil series are completely absent from the proposed Goose Gap AVA.
Notice of Proposed Rulemaking and Comments Received TTB published Notice No. 196 in the Federal Register on October 23, 2020
85 FR 67469, proposing to establish the Goose Gap AVA. In the notice, TTB
summarized the evidence from the petition regarding the name, boundary, and distinguishing features for the proposed AVA. The notice also compared the distinguishing features of the proposed AVA to the surrounding areas. For a detailed description of the evidence relating to the name, boundary, and distinguishing features of the proposed AVA, and for a detailed comparison of the distinguishing features of the proposed AVA to the surrounding areas, see Notice No. 196.
In Notice No. 196, TTB solicited comments on the accuracy of the name, boundary, and other required information submitted in support of the petition. In addition, given the proposed AVAs location within the Columbia Valley and Yakima Valley AVAs, TTB
solicited comments on whether the evidence submitted in the petition regarding the distinguishing features of the proposed AVA sufficiently differentiates it from the established AVAs. TTB also requested comments on whether the geographic features of the proposed AVA are so distinguishable from the Columbia Valley and Yakima Valley AVAs that the proposed Goose Gap AVA should no longer be part of these established AVAs. The comment period closed December 22, 2020.
In response to Notice No. 196, TTB
received one comment. The comment, from a local vineyard owner, supported the proposed Goose Gap AVA. TTB did not receive any comments regarding the location of the proposed AVA within
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the established Columbia Valley and Yakima Valley AVAs.
TTB Determination After careful review of the petition and the comments received in response to Notice No. 196, TTB finds that the evidence provided by the petitioner supports the establishment of the Goose Gap AVA. Accordingly, under the authority of the FAA Act, section 1111d of the Homeland Security Act of 2002, and parts 4 and 9 of the TTB
regulations, TTB establishes the Goose Gap AVA in Benton County, Washington, effective 30 days from the publication date of this document.
TTB has also determined that the Goose Gap AVA will remain part of the established Columbia Valley AVA. As discussed in Notice No. 196, the Goose Gap AVA shares some broad characteristics with the established AVA. For example, elevations within the Goose Gap AVA and the Columbia Valley AVA are generally below 2,000
feet. However, the Goose Gap AVA does have some features that differentiate it from the Columbia Valley AVA. For instance, the Goose Gap AVA
encompasses a single folded and faulted block of Columbia River basalt, characterized by the Goose Gap syncline and the adjoining Goose Hill anticline.
The Columbia Valley AVA, by contrast, consists of multiple ridges, hills, and valleys within a single broad basin.
Finally, TTB has also determined that the Goose Gap AVA will remain part of the established Yakima Valley AVA.
The two AVAs share soils that are a combination of glacial-flood and windborne soils, including the Warden soil series, and rest on Columbia River basalt. However, the Goose Gap AVA is unique among the hills of the Yakima Valley AVA in that it has an east-west alignment and plantable north and northeast slopes. Additionally, a major soil series of the Yakima Valley AVA is the ScooteneyStarbuck soil association.
However, within the Goose Gap AVA, Scooteney soils are absent, and Starbuck soils comprise less than 2 percent of the soils.
Boundary Description See the narrative description of the boundary of the Goose Gap AVA in the regulatory text published at the end of this final rule.
Maps The petitioners provided the required maps, and they are listed below in the regulatory text. The Goose Gap AVA
boundary may also be viewed on the AVA Map Explorer on the TTB website,
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